FA investigates referee Coote over booking claims

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The Football Association says it is investigating an allegation that referee David Coote discussed giving a yellowish paper with a instrumentality earlier a Championship match.

Coote, 42, says helium denies the caller claims and calls them "false and defamatory allegations".

The referee is already nether probe by the FA and has been suspended by refereeing assemblage the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and European football's governing assemblage Uefa pursuing abstracted allegations astir his conduct.

A caller study successful the Sun paper connected Tuesday claimed Coote exchanged messages with a instrumentality discussing giving a yellowish paper earlier and aft a crippled betwixt Leeds and West Brom successful 2019.

The speech refers to a booking Leeds defender Ezgjan Alioski received successful the lucifer from Coote. There is nary proposition of immoderate fiscal summation by Coote and the booking is regarded arsenic wholly correct.

The contents of the study person not been verified by the BBC.

"I powerfully refute these mendacious and defamatory allegations," Coote said successful a statement.

"Whatever issues I whitethorn person had successful my idiosyncratic beingness they person ne'er affected my decision-making connected the field.

"I person ever held the integrity of the crippled successful the highest regard, refereeing matches impartially and to the champion of my ability."

Coote is 1 of the Premier League's astir experienced officials and has been refereeing matches successful the apical formation since 2018.

The FA told the BBC: "These are precise superior allegations and we are investigating arsenic a substance of urgency."

The PGMOL said it takes a "zero-tolerance approach" to immoderate breach of its codification of conduct.

"The facts request to beryllium established successful airy of these precise superior allegations," it added.

"We follow a zero-tolerance attack to immoderate breach of our integrity codification of conduct, which is signed by each lucifer officials connected an yearly basis.

"PGMOL Board is committed to taking the due enactment should immoderate breach of that codification beryllium proven.

"David Coote remains suspended and taxable to an ongoing disciplinary process by PGMOL, abstracted to the probe into this substance which volition beryllium carried retired independently by the FA."

Coote was initially suspended by the PGMOL connected 11 November pending a afloat probe after a video emerged that appears to amusement him marque disparaging remarks astir erstwhile Liverpool brag Jurgen Klopp - the FA started an investigation connected 12 November.

On 13 November, the Sun published photos it says were taken during this summer's European Championship, alleging that they look to amusement Coote sniffing a achromatic pulverization done a rolled up US slope note.

Coote was moving astatine the Euros successful his capableness arsenic a lucifer official.

The PGMOL said it was taking those allegations "very seriously" and launched an investigation.

Uefa, European football's governing body, has besides launched its ain probe and suspended Coote.

Neither the pictures nor the video person been verified independently by the BBC.

Last week, the PGMOL said Coote's payment is "important to us" as its probe into his behaviour continues.

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